HH.0.0.1, (주2).AC.4807-4810, '주님의 예언들'(마25:31-33)

※ (주2). The Lord’s predictions in Matthew (24 and 25), respecting the consummation of the age and His coming, and the consequent successive vastation of the church and the final judgment, are explained in the prefaces to chapters 26–40 of Genesis (n. 3353–3356, 3486–3489, 3650–3655, 3751–3757, 3897–3901, 4056–4060, 4229–4231, 4332–4335, 4422–4424, 4635–4638, 4661–4664, 4807–4810, 4954–4959, 5063–5071).

 

 

THE LAST JUDGMENT (마25:31-33)

 

4807

Before the preceding chapter (n. 4661–4664) a beginning was made of unfolding what the Lord says in Matthew (chap. 25 from verse 31 to the end) concerning the judgment upon the good and the evil, who are there called sheep and goats. What the internal sense of these words is, has not yet been unfolded, but is now to be unfolded before this and some following chapters. And it will then be evident that by the last judgment is not there meant the last time of the world, and that the dead will then for the first time rise again and be gathered together before the Lord and judged; but that there is meant the last time of everyone who passes out of the world into the other life; for then is his judgment, and this is the judgment which is meant.

 

Yet that this is so does not appear from the sense of the letter, but from the internal sense. The reason why the Lord so spoke is that he spoke here, as everywhere else in the Word of the Old and the New Testament, by representatives and significatives; for to speak by representatives and significatives is to speak at the same time to the world and to heaven, or to men and to angels. Such speech is Divine, because universal, and hence is proper to the Word. Wherefore they who are in the world and care for worldly things only, do not apprehend anything else from what the Lord says here concerning the last judgment than that all are to rise again at one and the same time, and even that the Lord will then sit upon a throne of glory, and will speak to those gathered together according to these words. But they who care for heavenly things know that the time of everyone’s resurrection is when he dies, and that the Lord’s words here involve that everyone will be judged according to his life, thus that everyone carries his judgment with him, because he carries his life.

 

 

4808

That this is involved in the internal sense of the words in question will appear from the explication of the particulars according to this sense; but here only those things will be unfolded which are contained in verses 31 to 33:

 

31인자가 자기 영광으로 모든 천사와 함께 올 때에 자기 영광의 보좌에 앉으리니 32모든 민족을 그 앞에 모으고 각각 구분하기를 목자가 양과 염소를 구분하는 것 같이 하여 33양은 그 오른편에 염소는 왼편에 두리라 (마25:31-33) When the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matt. 25:31–33).

 

 

4809

인자가 자기 영광으로 올 때에  When the son of man shall come in his glory;

 

signifies when the Divine truth shall appear in its light, which takes place with every man when he dies, for he then comes into the light of heaven, in which he can perceive what is true and good, and hence what is his quality. The “son of man,” in the internal sense of the Word is the Lord as to Divine truth, thus is the Divine truth which is from the Lord. “Glory” is the intelligence and wisdom thence derived, which appear as light, and before the angels as the resplendence of light. This resplendence of light, in which are wisdom and intelligence derived from the Divine truth which is from the Lord is what in the Word is called “glory.” (That the “son of man” in the internal sense is the Divine truth, may be seen n. 2159, 2803, 2813, 3704.)

 

[2] 모든 천사와 함께 And all the holy angels with him;

 

signifies the angelic heaven. The “holy angels” are the truths which are from the Lord’s Divine good; for by “angels” in the Word are not meant angels, but those things which are from the Lord (see n. 1925, 4085); for the angels are recipients of the life of truth proceeding from the Lord’s Divine good, and insofar as they receive, so far they are angels. From this it is plain that “angels” are these truths. As the subject here treated of is the state of everyone after death, and the judgment of everyone according to his life, it is said that all the holy angels will be with him; and by this is signified that the judgment will be effected by means of heaven; for all influx of Divine truth takes place through heaven, and immediate influx can be received by no one.

 

[3] 자기 영광의 보좌에 앉으리니 Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory;

 

signifies the judgment, for a “throne” is predicated of the Lord’s royalty, and the Lord’s royalty is the Divine truth (n. 1728, 2015, 3009, 3670), and the Divine truth is that from which and according to which is the judgment.

 

[4] 모든 민족을 그 앞에 모으고 And before him shall be gathered all nations;

 

signifies that the goods and evils of all will be made manifest; for by “nations” in the internal sense of the Word are signified goods, and in the opposite sense evils (n. 1259, 1260, 1416, 2588, 4574); thus that goods and evils will appear in Divine light, that is, in light from the Divine truth, is signified by all nations being gathered before him.

 

[5] 각각 구분하기를 목자가 양과 염소를 구분하는 것 같이 하여 And he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats;

 

signifies the separation of good from evil; for the “sheep” are they who are in good, and the “goats” they who are in evil. They are properly called “sheep” who are in charity and thence in faith, and they “goats” who are in faith and not in charity—both being here treated of. That “sheep” are they who are in charity and thence in faith may be seen above (n. 2088, 4169), and “goats” they who are in faith and not in charity (n. 4769).

 

[6] 양은 그 오른편에 염소는 왼편에 두리라 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left;

 

signifies separation according to truths from good, and according to falsities from evil. In the other life they who are in truths from good actually appear to the right, and they who are in falsities from evil to the left. Hence to be set on the right hand and on the left is to be set in order according to the life.

 

 

4810

From all this it is evident what these words of the Lord involve, and that they are not to be understood according to the letter (namely, that the Lord at some last time will come in glory, and all the holy angels with him, and will sit upon a throne of glory, and judge all nations gathered before him), but that everyone will be judged according to his life, when he passes out of life in the world into life eternal.